Car coupler



Oct. 31, 1933. A. J. BAZELEY 1,932,433

CAR COUPLER Filed Jan. 24, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 31, 1933. A. J. BAZELEY 1,932,438

cm COUPLER Filed Jan. 24, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 31, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT -OFFICE CAR COUPLER Application January 24, 1930. Serial No. 423,037

12 Claims. (01. 213-427) This invention relates to car couplers and particularly to those of the top-operated type. An object of the invention is the provision of an improved lock-lifter mechanism including a lockto-the-lock which positively holds the lock not only against creeping to knuckle-unlocking position but also against movement to such position in response to sudden blows. Afurther object is to provide, in conjunction with an improved lock-to-the-lock'having the characteristics above noted, means insuring that the lock may be readily operated manually to unlocking position even though the coupler be in rearwardly bufied position. Other features of the invention will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. l is a View partly in section and partly in elevation of a car coupler showing my improvements applied thereto. Figs. 2 and. 3 are detail views showing different positions of thelock lifter in response to the application to the top thereof of a force directed upwardly and forwardly, as occurs when it 'is sought to operate the lifter with the coupler bufied rearwardly; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig.

l but with the lifter raised and the lock in lockset position; Fig. 5 is a detail View showing the action of the look-to-the-lock in response to attemptedcreepi'ng of the lock; and Fig. 6 is a detail view showing the action of the lifter and lockto-the-lock in response to a sudden upward blow imparted to the coupler.

Referring to the drawings, my invention is shown applied to a coupler of the standard D- type comprising a head,'A, knuckle B, knucklethrower C, and lock D. My improved lock lifter is designated generally as E and comprises an upper member 2 and a lower member 3, the latter having a hook-shaped lower portion engageable with a cross bar or trunnion 4 which bridges a slot 5 in the lock. The upper member 2 projects through an opening 6 in the coupler head and has its lower end bifurcated to receive the upper end of the lower member 3, said members being I connected by a pin '7 carried by the upper memher and passing through a slot 8 in the lower member. The parts are so arranged that the weight of the upper member 2 causes the lower member 3 to break to the rear, and when the lock is in lowermost position, forces the shoulder 9 at the top of the lower member under the ledge 10 in the coupler head, as shown in Fig. 1, thus elfecting a lock-to-the-lock. At the same time, the upper member, by reason ofthe slotted con-- nection drops down relative to the lower member until a shoulder 11 in the bifurcation of member 2 lies immediately in front of the shoulder 9. An interlock between the two members is thereby provided which prevents" the shoulder 9 from creeping out from under the ledge 10. At the same time by pulling upwardly on the member 2 with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1, the member 2 will first be raised with respect to member 3, withdrawing shoulder 11 from the path of shoulder 9, and then the member 3 will be swung forward to remove shoulder 9 from beneath ledge 10 so that as the upward pull upon member 2 continues, both member 2 and member 3 may move upwardly to operate the lock D to lock-set or to knuckle throw position.

When used in service in which cars are operated at high speeds, I the coupler is frequently thrown violently up and down, especially when a car passes over a cross-over or over a high rail joint; the sudden rise of the car body imparting a severe upward blow to the coupler, and the latter in turn driving thelock lift mechanism suddenly upward. To insure that under these conditions the lifter mechanism will not move upwardly in the same way as when raised manually with consequent raising of the lock to unlock the knuckle, I have provided an arrangement whereby the shoulder 9 of the member 3 is maintained beneath ledge 10, notwithstanding the imparting of sudden upward blows to the lifter by the coupler. The arrangement for accomplishing this may take the following form.

The upper lifter member 2, when in its normal or lowermost position wherein it rests upon the coupler head, is supported through projection 12, upon a top portionof the'ooupler head to the rear of the opening 6-. The top surface of the coupler head forward of said opening does not support said member 2, since the projection 12 does not extend forwardly of said member. If, now, the coupler receives a sudden upward blow, it imparts a sudden upward thrust to the upper lifter member 2 through the projection 12, and since said member is supported on the coupler head only at the rear of said member said up ward thrust causes the lower end of member 2 to tend to swing rearwardly as said member bounces up from the coupler head. The slot 8 is of such configuration that, as member 2 moves upwardly, the pin '7 slides along the rear side 8' of the said slot, and in cooperation with said rear side, maintains the lower member 3 pushed back (as shown in Fig. 6) so that its shoulder 9 remains under the ledge 10. At about the same time that the top member 2 starts to move up, the lock, and with it the lower member 3, is

driven upward with the result that the projection or shoulder 9 comes into contact with the ledge 10 just before the pin 7 strikes the top of the slot 8.

With the above provisions for insuring that the lock-to-the-lock is maintained effective notwithstanding sudden upward movements of the coupler, difficulty in operating the lock to unlock the knuckle might arise when the coupler is buffed rearwardly, in which case the direction of lift with certain types of uncoupling rods is upwardly and forwardly in the direction of the arrow in Figs. 2 and 3. It will be seen that the application of a lifting force to member 2 in this direction wtth said member in its Fig. I position, drags said member against the forward edge of the opening in the coupler head, and consequently tends to swing the lower end of said member rearwardly. To insure the removal of the shoulder 9 from beneath ledge 10, and thereby permit the lifter to'operate the lock, in response to an upward pull having a forward component as aforesaid, I provide the following means.

Upon the rear side of the lifter member 2 there is provided a shoulder 13 which, when the parts are in normal or locked position as shown in Fig. 1, lies slightly below the top of the shoulder 9. .Now, if the coupler happens to be buffed back so that the uncoupling rod lifts in the direction of the arrow in Figs. 2 and the shoulder 13 is raised .until it contacts with the shelf or ledge 10 (as shown in Fig. 2) and then as .the pull on the member 2 continues, said shoulder 13 is cammed forwardly and out from under the ledge, thus causing the lower end of the member 2 to swing forwardly and to carry with it the upper end of the member 3, whereby the'shoulder 9 of the latter is withdrawn from under said ledge. In Fig. '3 the shoulder 13 is shown sliding around the front edge of the ledge 10, and it will be seen that this movement has withdrawn the-anti-creep shoulder 9 from under said ledge.

When the lifter parts are bounced upward by sudden movement of the coupler, the shoulder 13, as,will be evident from Fig 6, will strike the ledge 10 at about the same time that the shoulder 9 strikes said ledge. This contact of .shoulderv 13 with the ledge serves to stop or to delay the upward bounce of the member 2, thus further eliminating any possibility for the shoulder 9.-to slip out from under the ledge. It may be furthernoted that in case the shoulder 9 should become worn off, the shoulder l3wouldstill be available to contact with the-ledge 10 and to prevent slow creeping of the lock.

The terms and expressions which I have em ployed are ,used as terms of description and not of limitation, and I have no intention, in the use of such terms and. expressions, of excluding any mechanical equivalents of the features shown and. described or portions thereof, but recognize that various structural modifications are possible within'the scope of the invention claimed.

What I claim is: 1. In a car coupler, a head, a vertically movable lock, a two-part lifter connected to said lock, a stop on said head, a 'shoulderon one of said lifter members cooperating with said stop for effecting a lock-to-the-lock, a shoulder on the second member engageable with the top of the coupler head, said second member being adapted to swing in an opening in the couplerhead, means comprising said shoulder for exerting a force upon the first member in response to a sudden upward movement of said head to maintain said shoulder in looking relation to said stop, and means comprising a shoulder on the second member of the lifter for insuring movement of the lcck-to-the-lock to inoperative position in response to the application to the second member of an upward pull having a forward component.

2. In a car coupler, a head, a vertically movable lock, a two-part lifter connected to said lock, a stop on said head, a shoulder on one of said lifter members co-operating with said stop for effecting a lock-to-the-lock, the second member of the lifter being adapted to swing in an opening in said head, means for exerting a force upon said member in'response to a sudden upward movement of said head to maintain said shoulder in looking relation to said stop, and means comprising a shoulder on thesecond member of the lifter co-operating with a portion of the coupler head for insuring movement of .the lock-to-the-lock to inoperative position in response to application to the second member of anupward pull having a forward component.

3. In a car coupler, a head, a Vertically movable look, a two-part lifter connected to said look, a stop on head, a shoulder on one of said lifter members cooperating with said stop for eifecting a lock-tothe-lock, means responsive to a sudden upward thrust by the coupler head upon the second member of the lifter for causing the latter to exert a rearward force upon the first-named member for maintaining the shoulder of the first named member in locking relation to the stop, and means responsive to the application to the top of the second member of an upward pull. having a forward component for positively camming said shoulder out of locking relation to said stop. 7

l. In a car coupler, a head having a top hole, a vertically movable look, a two part lifter connected to said lock, a stop on said head,- a shoulder on'each of said lifter parts, one of said shoulders cooperating with said stop for locking the lock and the other of said shoulders engaging said stop only upon upward movement of the corresponding lifter part providing means for moving the lock-to-the-lock to inoperative position when the parts are manually operated for lifting the lock.

5. In a car coupler, a head, a vertically movable look, a two part lifter connected to said lock, a

I stop on the head, a shoulder on one of the members of said lifter at times engaging said stop for locking the lock, and a shoulder on the other of said members at times engaging said stop upon upward movement of said member from normal position for insuring movement of the lock-tothe-lock to inoperative position.

6. In a car coupler, a head, a vertically. movable lock, a two-part lifter connected to said lock, a stop on said head, a shoulder on one of said lifter members cooperating with said stop for effecting a lock-to-the-lock, means responsive to a sudden upward thrust by the coupler head upon the second member of the lifter for causing the latter to exert a rearward force upon the firstnamed member for maintaining the shoulder of the first named member in looking relation to the stop, said means comprising a connection between said lifter members, and means on said second member engageable with said stop and responsive to the applicationto the top'of the second member of an upward pull having a forward component for rotating the bottom of said second member forwardly and, through said connection rotating said first member whereby said shoulder is moved out of locking relation to said stop.

7. In a car coupler, a head having a tap hole, a vertically movable look, a two part lifter connected to said lock, a stop on said head, a shoulder on each of said lifter parts, one of said shoulders cooperating with said stop to form a lock-to-thelock, and the other of said shoulders forming a secondary lock-to-the-lock and also adapted through engagement with a portion of the coupler head to assure movement of the first named look-to-the-lock to inoperative position when the parts are manually operated for lifting the lock.

8. In a car coupler, a head, a vertically movable lock, a two-part lifter connected to said look, a stop on said head, a shoulder on one of said'lifter members cooperating with said stop for effecting a lock-to-the-lock, a shoulder on the second member engageable with the top of the coupler head, said second member being adapted to swing in an opening in said head, means comprising the second mentioned shoulder for exerting a force upon the first member during upward movement of the second lifter member in response to a sudden upward movement of said head to maintain the first mentioned shoulder in looking relation to said stop, and means engageable with said coupler head constructed and arranged to insure movement of the lock-to-the-lock to inoperative position in response to the application to the second member of an upward pull having a forward component.

9. In a car coupler, a head, a vertically movable lock, a two-part lifter connected to said look, a stop on said head, a shoulder on one of said lifter members cooperating with said stop for effecting a lock-to-the-lock, means for exerting a force upon said member in response to a sudden upward movement of said head to maintain said shoulder in locking relation .to said stop, and

means on the other lifter member constructed and arranged to engage said stop at times for insuring movement of the lock-to-the-lock to inoperative position in response to the application to the second member of an upward pull having a forward component. 7

10,. In a car coupler, a head having a top hole, a vertically movable look, a stop on said head, a two-part lock lifter, comprising members having interengaging means including a pin and slot, a shoulder on one of said members cooperating with said stop for locking the lock, means on said head limiting rearward movement of said one member, the other member projecting upwardly through said hole and being supported by a portion of said head to the rear of said hole so that the lower end of said other member tends to swing rearwardly, said interengaging means being constructed and arranged to urge said first-named member against said limiting means in response to sudden upward thrusts imparted to said other member by said head.

11. In a car coupler, a head having a top hole, a vertically movable lock, a stop on said head, a two-part lifter for the look, a shoulder on one of the members of said lifter cooperating with said stop for locking the lock, means on said head limiting rearward movement of said member, the second member of said lifter projecting upwardly through said hole in the head and being supported by a portion of said head to the rear of said hole so that its lower end tends to exert a rearward force upon the first-named member in response to sudden upward thrusts imparted to said second member by said head and to maintain said first-named member against said limiting means, one of said members being provided with a slot therein having a surface sloping upwardly and forwardly, a pin in the other member cooperating With said surface to assist the second-mentioned member in maintaining the first mentioned member against said limiting means.

12. In a car coupler, a head having a top hole, a vertically movable look, a lifter connected to said lock and comprising upper and lower members connected together, a stop on said head rearvvardly of said lifter, a shoulder on the lower lifter member cooperating with said stop for locking the lock, means adjacent said stop limiting rearward movement of said lower lifter member, the upper member of the lifter projecting upwardly through the hole in the head and having a rearward extension thereon engageable with the top of said head for bringing said upper member into a rearwardly inclined position, a connection between said lifter members comprising pin and slot means, said connection limiting rearward movement of said upper member when said lower member is in engagement with said first-named means, said slot having a surface inclined forwardly and upwardly, said surface being so positioned that when an upward impulse is imparted by said coupler head to said extension said pin in traveling over said surface will maintain said lower lifter member in said rearward position.

ARTHUR J. BAZELEY. 

